Victoria
by AppleRay
Summary: When new parents, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, discover an abandoned baby on their doorstep, they never could have guessed how greatly the little girl would impact their lives. Follow Victoria Malfoy in her years at Hogwarts and watch as she uncovers her mysterious past. Will the golden trio become something more? Can Victoria learn to forgive and forget? Read on and find out!
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: ** I do not own the Harry Potter series!

**Prologue - Christmas Eve, 1980**

Narcissa Malfoy paced around the living room, her high-heeled shoes clicking against the wood floor and a crying baby in her arms. "Hush, Draco." The tired woman did her best to sound soothing but after twenty minutes of holding, and rocking, and swaying, and bouncing the six-month-old boy, her voice had slowly but surely become a bit harsh and, well...rather whiny.

"Please, Draco," Narcissa kissed her son's tear-stained cheek, "I don't understand! I don't know what you want! Daddy will be home soon, I promise." Draco wailed even louder, his lower lip trembling. His little hand found his mother's blonde hair and pulled.

"Ouch!" Narcissa winced, "Don't pull, Draco. It's not nice." Her face twisted into a slightly pained expression as she uncurled her son's little fingers from her hair. "I'm going to put you down for just a moment, love," She said, "Mommy needs to take her shoes off."

The high heels she'd been wearing since breakfast were beginning to squish her toes together uncomfortably. And although she'd planned on taking a nice, hot bath before bed, it seemed like that luxury would have to wait. Narcissa's husband left earlier that day and she hadn't heard from him since. It was foolish of her to think he'd be back in time to watch Draco so she could finally relax. And as unwilling as she was to allow that awful house elf to watch her baby, she was beginning to think that it would have to come to that.

She set Draco on his tummy and kicked her shoes off. But just as soon as she did, the front door slammed shut. Narcissa jumped up and quickly grabbed her wand from the arm of the sofa.

"Lucius? Is that you?"

She glanced down at Draco, who had stopped crying and was now blowing spit bubbles. Rolling her eyes, she vaguely wondered whether or not her son's previously non-stop wailing had in fact started because she was holding him, or perhaps he was just being difficult. Narcissa often had the feeling that her son would be a very moody teenager; something she wasn't exactly looking forward to. But she pushed the thought aside when she realized that no one had answered her. She held her wand a little tighter and asked again, "Lucius? Are you home?"

A resounding grunt told her that it was indeed her husband. How many times did she have to tell him not to slam the door? Honestly, it was one of her biggest pet peeves.

"We're in the lounge, dear," Narcissa said, "Will you be joining us?"

Lucius stepped out from around the corner and raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think I wouldn't join my lovely wife and my precious son on Christmas Eve?"

Narcissa raised her nose in the air and huffed, "Maybe."

Lucius laughed and bent down to pick up Draco, who had been trying very hard to scoot his way over to his mother's shoes which were, he'd recently discovered, very fun to chew on. "Come, now...really?" He asked his wife as he nuzzled the top of Draco's head.

Narcissa's heart swelled with happiness as she watched Lucius making silly faces at their giggling son. She completely forgot her recent annoyance with her husband, thinking, _if only it could be like this forever._ She sighed.

Lucius looked over at his wife. She was beautiful…her bare feet and tussled hair, tired eyes and a perfectly content smile. Absolutely beautiful.

"Now, tell me," He said, "Would you like to open your Christmas present early?"

Narcissa's face lit up, "You bought me something?"

Lucius threw his head back and laughed, "Of course I did! Gods, woman, don't I always?"

"But - but I didn't get you anything! I didn't even think to…" Narcissa was interrupted by the loud pop of someone apparating nearby.

She looked at her husband, immediately concerned. "Are we expecting someone?" She asked.

He shook his head, "No…stay here."

Narcissa took a step toward Lucius, "I'm sure it's nothing. Can't we just ignore it?"

"You know better, Narcissa," Lucius said. And she did. With the Dark Lord rising to even greater power and the prophecy at work, they knew to take certain precautions.

"Fine. I'll stay here," Narcissa took Draco from her husband's arms. Lucius stood up a little taller and made his way to the front door. In his mind, he went over the various charms and defensive spells that they had placed over the house.

He was halfway to the door when a loud screeching sound echoed through the room...the Caterwauling Charm. He cursed under his breath and ran toward the door. Wand in hand, he quickly but cautiously opened the door.

The cold wind blew in and tangled his hair, but everything outside was peaceful and still. He knew the intruder, who ever it was, was now gone. He stood there for a moment, puzzled, before the screeching faded into silence. The clicking of Narcissa's heels and Draco's soft snoring made Lucius turn.

"Well?" His wife asked, "Who was it?"

Lucius shook his head and shrugged, "I don't know. But they're gone now. How is Draco?"

"Sound asleep," Narcissa held her son a little tighter. Something inside her felt strange, like a tugging at her heart. She couldn't put a finger on what it reminded her of, but later in life she would remember it as a feeling similar to the one she had when she first learned she was going to be a mother. Some might say it was fate. Others might call it destiny. In any case, the feeling was so strong that it seemed to take over Narcissa completely. She stepped in front of her husband and, for reasons she couldn't quite comprehend, looked down.

She gasped, "Lucius!"

Lucius followed her line of sight. There, on the front step of the Malfoy Manor, was a small bundle of blankets. He pursed his lips in confusion.

"Lucius, take Draco," Narcissa handed him their son, "Put him to bed and bring me some more blankets."

"What? What is it, Narcissa?" He watched as his wife knelt down and gingerly picked up the blankets. As she did, a small piece of paper fell to the floor. He snatched it up before the wind could blow it away. Narcissa was already making her way back inside the house, cooing at the little bundle.

Realization hit him and he held his breath as he raised the piece of paper.

He looked at Draco in his arms and, with that same strange feeling in his heart, squinted down at the paper.

He read the one word that would change his life forever...

**"Victoria"**


	2. Chapter One

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own the Harry Potter series!

**Chapter One - The Letters Arrive, 1991**

"Victoria, breakfast is ready!" She heard her mother yell through the door. Victoria groaned and flung the covers over her head. She'd been up for hours with a monster of a headache and the thought of eating breakfast made her stomach churn.

"Victoria?" Her mother called again, "Should I save you anything?"

She thought about it for a moment and sat up in bed. "Toast, please."

There was a shuffle of footsteps beyond the door. When Victoria was sure her mother had gone, she put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. She'd been having these headaches quite frequently during the past couple of months. Her mother said it was because of the girl's poor diet, which mainly consisted of toast with marmalade and tea with too much sugar. Narcissa had often tried to get her daughter to eat something, anything green, but Victoria refused. Then there was her father, who believed the headaches were the product of her reading in poor lighting. "You're going to go blind, reading like that," Lucius would say. But Victoria knew the truth.

It was the nightmares. She hadn't told anyone about them, although she'd often written about them in her diary. Every night, she'd wake up with a jolt. The hair on her arms would be standing on end and the back of her neck would be covered in little beads of sweat. The worst part was that sometimes she couldn't even remember the nightmares. And when she could, there were only fragments. Bit and pieces of the images she'd see in her sleep.

Victoria slid her feet over the edge of the bed, stepping down onto the cold wood floor, and walked over to the vanity that once belonged to her Aunt Bellatrix. Auntie Bella adored Victoria from the day they met. Of course, Victoria was much too little to remember their first meeting, but she trusted the words of her parents.

Auntie Bella was intimidating and, yes, very much insane, but there was a softer side somewhere deep inside her heart. Of course, that side of her may be hidden away in a dusty corner filled with cobwebs and spiders, but still, Victoria prided herself in the fact that as a baby, she was able to win the heart of her crazed Aunt.

Victoria looked at herself in the vanity mirror and picked up the hairbrush she received for her ninth birthday. She ran the brush through her dark brown hair, tugging at the knots. Her hair was nothing like her mother's. It wasn't soft, shiny, or luxurious. No. Instead, it was rather dull and took various grooming charms from her mother to get out the knots that a regular hairbrush couldn't. She set the brush down and stared at her reflection.

Victoria was never a vain girl. She'd been told she was beautiful...many times, in fact. But this couldn't convince her. She wished she looked more like her mother, but instead of her mother's ice blue eyes, Victoria's were a dark brown. Her nose was not delicate like her mother's nor was it long and crooked like the nose of her brother's Godfather, Severus Snape. Victoria decided that her nose was almost too ordinary. If anything about her was beautiful, it was the contrast between her pouting red lips and pale skin.

Victoria pressed a thumb to her temple. Her headache was fading to an annoying pulse and the pop of the house elf appearing in her room did nothing to help her.

"Dobby has brought the young Miss some toast. Just as the Miss requested," Said the house elf. Victoria turned to look at Dobby and he flinched. "Have I ever been cruel to you, Dobby?" She asked.

The house elf smiled weakly and shook his head, "Never! It is what sets the young Miss apart from the Masters and the Mistress."

Victoria took the toast from Dobby and sighed, "I know." She took a bite, ignoring the fact that the bread was covered with strawberry jam and not marmalade. Of course, if it had been her brother, the house elf would have been sent away only after a terrible beating. But Victoria knew it wasn't Dobby's fault that the kitchen was out of marmalade. Besides, what a silly thing it would be to punish someone who prepared a perfectly wonderful piece of toast just because the jam was a different color.

Dobby cleared his throat, "Is there anything else the Miss requires?"

"Oh, sorry. No. Thank you, Dobby."

The house elf snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Victoria took another bite of her toast and headed downstairs.

"There you are, Victoria," Lucius said to his daughter as she shuffled around the corner, "Your mother was beginning to worry. Did the elf bring you your...toast?"

Victoria nodded as she entered the dining room.

"There's a letter for you on the table," Said her father.

Draco beamed at his sister, "It's your acceptance letter! From Hogwarts!"

"Draco!" Narcissa chastised as she entered the room, waving her wand to clean up an unidentified spill on her husband's coat, "You couldn't have let her open it first?"

The blonde boy ran a hand through his hair and took a bite out of the apple he was holding, "She would've figured it out anyway! I just...delayed the inevitable."

"Indeed," Said Lucius with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well?" Draco got up to stand by Victoria, "Aren't you going to open it?"

"Why should I?" She asked, "You've already told me what's inside."

Her brother pulled the letter out of her hands, "Then I'll open it for you."

She shrugged, "Fine."

Draco tore open the envelope and began to read, "Dear Miss Malfoy, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st. Yours sincerely, Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress."

Narcissa clapped her hands, "Isn't it exciting, Victoria!"

Victoria nodded her head and took another bite out of her toast.

"She doesn't seem very excited..." Draco said.

"No," Their father replied, "She doesn't." He turned to his daughter, "What is it this time, Victoria?"

The girl looked away, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Victoria," Narcissa put a hand on her daughter's shoulder, "Answer your father. We are your parents. We know when something is wrong. Now, you've been talking about Hogwarts for months! Why the sudden...why...this?"

Victoria looked at Draco, "I'd rather not say right now."

Draco rolled his eyes, "I get it. Okay, I'll leave. But if the urge to eavesdrop is too much, I'll just have to listen in."

"You know," Lucius fiddled with his wand, "I can fix that issue right now, Draco. So, if you'd rather not hear buzzing for the next few minutes, I'd say you should go to your room."

Draco huffed, "Fine. See if I care!"

The others watched as he stormed upstairs, muttering under his breath. When they heard the boy's bedroom door slam, the Malfoy parents turned to their daughter. "Well?" They asked in unison.

Victoria flicked her eyes from one parent to the next. How was she going to tell them? _Might as well just come out and say it,_ she thought. And so she did...well, sort of. At first she whispered it.

"Speak up, dear, we can't hear you."

Victoria felt like she might cry. She took a deep, shaky breath. "I know," She said.

The Malfoys looked at each other, then back at their daughter. "What do you know, love?" Narcissa asked. "No matter what it is, we'll still…we'll still love you," Said Lucius

Victoria looked at her parents with tears in her eyes, "I know I'm not a Malfoy."


End file.
